FNH FNAC (FN Advanced Carbine)

FN Herstal USA’s latest SCAR variant the FNAC (FN Advanced Carbine) will be their entry into the US Army Individual Carbine competition. The Individual Carbine competition is the Army’s open competition to replace the M4. This competition only applies to the Army, other branches of the US Military will be sticking with the M4 for now.

The FNAC is chambered in NATO 5.56x45mm like the SCAR-L and civilian SCAR-16s, but the FNAC has some significant differences. The barrel is 14” long, 0.5” shorter than the SCAR-L STD and 2.5” shorter than the SCAR-16s. Compared to both the L and 16s the FNAC has removed the integrated front sight from the gas block and put a traditional folding front sight on the picatinny rail. The most significant difference is the charging handle has been re-engineered to be non-reciprocating. One of our dislikes of the SCAR-17s (.308 chambered civilian version of the SCAR-H) that we reviewed in issue 1 of RECOIL Magazine was the reciprocating charging handle. Will their be a civilian variant of the FNAC – or at least conversion kits that allow SCAR-16 and 17 owners convert to a non-reciprocating charging handle? Only FNH knows that.

Here is what FN Herstal USA is saying about the FNAC

The FN Advanced Carbine (FNAC) is ready to serve as the U.S. Army’s next generation Individual Carbine. Its pedigree of excellence evolves from bold advancements in technical design validated by exhaustive testing for reliability, accuracy and durability. Expect the same high performance under extreme conditions with ease of maintenance and minimal logistics support seen in all FN SCAR® weapons.